振り返り：落とし穴１６２堀～落とし穴１６５堀＋α (Part8)
Naoko Sudo gives me a thumbs-up with a bright smile. Well, I suppose I can’t have her catching a cold and collapsing on me, either. With that thought in mind, we arrive at the shopping district... and proceed to stand there, utterly adrift, in a corner of the arcade where the wind is howling through like a banshee.
"...I suppose we can't really follow her into the lingerie shop, can we?"
"...No, I suppose not."
Right. Perhaps it was a mistake to give her so much money; she’d insisted on stopping at a specialty store to "freshen up her undergarments." I suppose, being a woman, she’s particular about her grooming—even the things no one else is ever going to see.
"Well, she did pick out her clothes quickly enough, likely out of consideration for us."
"Honestly, I would have preferred she spent more time on those and less on the other."
"Still, it’s only been about ten minutes. Actually, why don't we just contact Sudo-senpai and meet up at a cafe?"
"Ah, that’s a fair point."
A solution that should have been obvious. Perhaps it’s the nature of my recent life, but I’d somehow convinced myself that I was obligated to trail along on a woman’s shopping trip. Like some sort of seasonal worker hired to stand in line for New Year’s lucky bags.
But, enough about my lonely New Year’s anecdotes. We promptly sent a message and made our way to a cafe, when—
"Hm? Isn't that one of the heroines?"
"Eh? Ah, you mean Ayano Meue from the other class, right?"
It seemed my recognition wasn't off; Taiki-kun agreed. Our gazes were fixed on a girl sitting all alone on a bench outside the shopping district, despite the biting cold. Her silky, silver twin-tails fluttered in the wind, catching the light beautifully.
"...That girl is Japanese, right?"
"...I should think so. Though I have no idea why her hair is silver."
For Taiki-kun and me, who operate under the firm assumption that a Japanese person should have black or brown hair, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to believe that the silver-haired girl was truly one of our own. We were far more preoccupied with that trivial detail than the fact that she was a "heroine."
"So, how do we approach her? Well, Taiki-kun, want to give it a shot?"
"Eh! That would just make me look like some random street-harasser, wouldn't it!?"
But if we didn't speak to her, the scenario for her supernatural tale would surely proceed. More importantly, we needed to assess her current state. We had to find a way to talk to her. Even if the difficulty level was astronomically high.
***
+α Pitfall 166: The Troublesome Woman
Side: Yuki
"...Thank you."
With those words, the silver-haired twin-tailed girl, Ayano Meue, accepted the hot coffee and took a sip. Yes, we had successfully managed to hand a warm drink to the other heroine sitting on the bench!
"Don't mention it. It actually helps me out that you took the winning ticket off my hands."
We had, in fact, pretended that we’d won a prize from the vending machine just to give her the coffee. What a brilliant plan! Who knew vending machines still had those "winner" features these days? Well, in truth, we hadn't actually won, but we played the part well enough.
"So, why are you sitting on a bench in this freezing weather?"
"..."
"Didn't want to be asked? My apologies. We'll be going, then."
I wasn't expecting us to become friends immediately, of course. I just wanted to establish some sort of connection. I didn't want to be labeled a "harasser" and start off with a negative impression if things got serious later.
"Wait."
To my surprise, she called out to us.
"What is it?"
"…I lost my wallet and my phone."
"..."
Taiki-kun and I exchanged glances. Wait... I know this story. I decided to keep the conversation going to get the full picture.
"That’s a disaster. Have you reported it to the police yet?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I only just lost them..."
"So you were just sitting there, at a total loss?"
"...Yeah. *Sniff*..."
Ugh, is she starting to cry!?
"Why does this have to happen to me at the start of the New Year..."
*I don't know, maybe regret your own carelessness!* I wanted to scream, but I held my tongue. I’m an adult, after all. I have to handle this like a gentleman.
"Look, crying won't solve anything. You should report it to the police box and then go look for them."
"…You want me to go alone, in this cold, without a single cent to my name?"
"Well, what else do you suggest?"
"...*Sniff*..."
She’s crying again. How annoying. Seriously, how annoying. Though, I suppose anyone would be a wreck if they lost all their money.
"Alright, fine. You want us to help, right? If you keep up the fake crying, I’m leaving you at the police box."
"That’s horrible! Who leaves a girl alone on a cold night like this? Is that normal!?"
"You’ve been ignored by everyone else this whole time, haven't you?"
"Ugh!?"
Ayano Meue clutched her chest. People who would bother talking to someone like her are limited to police officers, harassers, the protagonist, the overly kind-hearted, or people like us who have an agenda.
"Or what? If you’d rather we just walked away like everyone else, we can leave."
"I'm sorry! I was just acting out, please, help me! I really don't have any money and I'm at my wit's end!"
Ayano Meue finally asked us for help in earnest. Well, that’s fair. Being broke is truly miserable. And there aren't many eccentric people who would easily lend money to a stranger. Still, the options when you lose your wallet are limited.
"For now, we're going to the police box."
"No! If I go to the police box, they'll think I did something wrong!"
"…No, we aren't going there to turn yourself in. You go to the police box when you're in trouble."
"…Ugh. I know, but, you know, you only go to the teachers' office when you're in trouble, right? Like when you're getting scolded..."
That comment really tells you everything you need to know about her usual behavior.
"Hah, you really are hopeless. We aren't exactly free, you know. We're here in the shopping district with an acquaintance. We'll be heading back soon."
"That's right."
"Then just lend me some money!"
"I'm not kind-hearted enough to lend money to someone who won't even tell me her name or carry a cell phone."
"Nngghh..."
She really does have a piece of work for a personality. But in reality, this isn't a situation we can just walk away from.
"…Yuki-san. If you keep provoking her and she runs off, it’ll be a hassle, won't it? You know what happens, right? She loses her wallet here, and then..."
"…I know. She ends up going to the shrine to steal from the offering box just to get home."
That’s right. She’s the worst. She’ll commit theft just to get home. And that is the origin and the cause of Ayano Meue’s supernatural tale. Moreover, to avoid being seen, she won't go to the main hall, but will instead pilfer from a small, obscure sub-shrine that most people wouldn't even notice—and that’s how she gets cursed. Well, even if it’s "dangerous," it’s entirely her own fault.
"Hah. I understand the situation now. But you really need to report that phone to the police and your carrier, or you could be charged a massive amount for unauthorized use. We're going to do this properly."
"No way!"
She clearly hadn't understood the implications of losing her phone at all; the moment I explained how bad things could get, her face went pale.
"W-what do I do! Hey, what do I do!"
"That’s why we’re going to the police and the phone company right now. If you do that, you can get coverage even if there’s unauthorized use."